Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Vic West will retire at the end of the year, bringing to a close a 38-year career in law enforcement that started with a stint as a U.S. Air Force military cop.
West joined the then-much-smaller sheriff’s office in 1981, rising through the ranks to hold positions overseeing the patrol division, jail, narcotics and field operations. He was named chief deputy in 2008.
In Jan. 2015, West will shift into an entirely new line of work- raising cattle and growing crops on a leased 300-acre farm in northern Cherokee.
“Police work is the only thing I’ve ever done my entire life,” said West. “I just wanted to try something new.”
He’ll partner in the operation with Robby Westbrook, a farmer who’s led the Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency.
West says he’ll keep connected to policing as an adjunct professor at Columbus State University’s Law Enforcement Command College.
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